Angel of Chronos
by thundersenshi
Summary: On a cold, dark night, one wish was voiced unconciously through the barriers of Kunzite's solitude...a wish for one heavenly creature. But as they always say, "Be careful of the angel you wish for--because you might just get a hellion in disguise..."
1. In Chains

Angel of Chronos -- Chapter One

****Angel of Chronos  
by [Spatula Gurl][1]

**Chapter One: In Chains**

_"...behold the gentle, flutter of wings,   
Hear its silent plea..."_

Hurried footsteps echoed along the hallway. The quick, swishing sound of silk and satin against the marbled floor accompanied the short gasps for breath.

  
"M'lady, please!"

  
Minako glanced back once, and, seeing the maid closing the distance between them, raised her skirts and finally broke into a run.   
The maid, catching a look at the exposed calves of her lady, gave a small gasp of surprise, and soon she too, followed suit and ran after the blonde whirlwind.

  
Minako soon turned at the curve past the kitchens and shouted to the maid, "I do not wish to see him, Cora. Tell him that I am not here! Tell him I have gone hunting, or--or something of the sort. No, tell him I have gone with my father and will not return 'til a fortnight!"

  
"But m'lady...!"

  
Cora's protest died on her lips as she soon lost sight of her mistress. The only visible trace was the havoc the young baroness left   
behind in the kitchens.

  
She sighed. The sight of the tumbled mess, the clattered silver and the spilt wine was very familiar. She bent down to help clean up one broken plate and shook her head resignedly. At the sound of someone chuckling beside her, she glanced sideways only to see John, the head cook, grinning amusedly.

  
"Our young lady is one spirited vixen, isn't she?" he said, his grin growing wider.

  
"Do not start with me now, Old John," Cora retorted, dusting her skirts as she stood up with one hand on her hip. "She is always like   
this whenever Sir Richard or Sir Ryuzo comes calling. When will she stop running away? When she is too old to be nothing but an old maid, with nary an heir?"

  
It was John's turn to sigh and shake his head. "Lady Minako has always been a free spirit. You can never chain stern stuff of that kind. Until it is her wish to wed, there is nothing we can do." He turned silent for a moment, his eyes turning fondly toward the direction where the young lady took off in such a hurry. "I am uncertain whether or not to pity her. She is happy and content the way she is here." Then he added, his paternal affections surfacing, "But I do hope she will find wherever it is her heart lies. And I pray to the heavens...may it be the best path for her."

  
Cora turned away, and scoffed, "John, you sentimental old fool." And, before he had a chance to say anything, she turned her heels and walked away, hiding the moisture forming at the corners of her eyes.

  
Minako watched as the ripples grew larger and larger, each new ring disturbing the calm stillness of the lake. She threw another stone, and then another, and watched them in the same quiet manner with her knees folded up in front of her.

  
"If you keep doing that, the water may just rise to eat you up for a change of diet," a soft, elderly voice spoke behind her.

  
Minako whirled around suddenly, finding an old woman standing calmly behind her. Her eyes widened in surprise as she exclaimed,   
"Annie?! I did not know you were familiar with this place! What are you doing here?"

  
Anne, the old woman, approached her slowly in cautious steps. "To find you, of course," she replied with a slight smile.

  
"I am not going back until Sir Richard leaves," Minako answered huffily, her back turning rigid.

  
But Anne said nothing. She simply walked towards the girl until she was standing right beside her. "You will spoil your gown if you sit on the ground like that," she finally said in the same soft voice.

  
Minako sighed, but refused to look at the elder. "Did Cora send you here?" she asked, ignoring the earlier statement.

  
"No, my dear child," Anne replied, shaking her head. "I have simply come for a talk."

  
"If this is about Sir Richard, Annie, then I wouldst we talk some other day. I would just like to be alone for now. I do not wish to see   
him."

  
Anne smiled again, if patiently. She looked down at her young ward, and said, "Sir Richard left but a few moments ago. I understand   
Cora gave him one of your alibis."

  
Minako blushed scarlet at the reminder, but continued to remain silent for a few more minutes.

  
The old woman sighed now, easing herself carefully beside the younger female on the soft, mildewed earth. "Minako..."

  
"I hate it, Annie," Minako replied in a hoarse whisper, unwanted tears forming in the clear, blue eyes as she turned her face towards the elder. "And I hate him. Why does Father insist so much that I marry? I am barely aged a score. I do not like being coerced into a situation I am like to suffer from!"

  
Anne was silent. She reached out with a comforting arm, but Minako shied away slightly, ashamed that her eyes were brimming with   
tears. "I hate it," she whispered. "But you know I tried, did you not? By God, you know I tried. But I cannot be expected to surrender myself to a life I know I do not want. I cannot readily offer myself to be a sacrifice..." She wiped her eyes hastily. "Why does he do this to me?"

  
"My dear," Anne whispered in the same low voice, "Your father loves you. You know that."

  
"Yea, I know he does," she whispered back. "But I do not understand why he insists on this matter so much when it can be settled   
whenever the right time comes. I am only nineteen, for God's sake! I do not want to force myself on any situation. I want to have love," she admitted, with a hollow laugh. "I am foolish, I know. But I want to have love the way he had before Mother died."

  
"But we cannot all be that fortunate, my child," Anne said sadly. "And we women almost never get the best of chances in this world."

  
"Why is he so eager to have me married, anyway? 'Tis unreasonable, this farce he persists in believing." She turned to Anne with pleading eyes and lowered her voice not higher than a whisper, "What about you, Annie? Do you know anything about it?"

  
The woman's brown eyes flickered for a moment, but she turned away before Minako could say anything. "Why do you not trust your   
father? You know he only wants the best for you. He just wants to see you settled down on your own before time passes him by. He would never intentionally hurt you."

  
"Well, he is hurting me now," Minako muttered furiously as she stood up. "You are right about one thing, Annie. Women never get the best chances in this world." She looked at her elder, whose eyes only bore sadness, before she turned and walked away. A cold breeze came by as she said her parting words, "I only wish that someday, things would be different..."

Author's Notes:  
11 OCTOBER 2000

  
This one is about Minako and Kunzite.  
The idea suddenly hit me during my 3-day retreat. I liked it immediately and decided to write it out as soon   
as I got home.  
It's mainly set in the modern time, but there's a mixture of medieval. It involves two different worlds. I   
guess I was inspired by all the time and dimension travel stories I've read and watched. So I guess the setting and   
"props" as I call it are all kind of weird.  
First of all, I didn't use the old Japanese era. I thought about it, but didn't go on with that plan because   
it didn't seem appropriate. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally in love with stories from the Meiji and Tokugawa eras, but I   
thought that this piece would relate more with a scene of knights and nobilities instead of samurais and shoguns.   
Yes, yes, I know that both main characters are Japanese, but let's overlook the basic Japanese facts for a while, okay?   
After all, there are a lot of animes and mangas with the same setting, but they still speak Japanese, right? And yes, I'm   
retaining the name Minako and Kunzite. That's the other weird thing I mentioned before (can you imagine a name like   
"Kunzite" in modern times? @_@ And "Minako" in what seems like a European setting?). I am also using "Minamoto" as   
Kunzite's last name, since I can't think of anything else to use.  
Ugh, I hate the culture clash, but let's just get on with it and hope it turns out alright. I'm usually a stickler for details (you will notice that if you've read LOS, my first fanfic ^^;) but this is one exception. I almost didn't write this because of the many irrational   
stuff here. But what the heck, I liked the idea so much! 

And oh, before I forget, the overall rating. I am not completely sure, but I'm warning you now: there is a definite possibility of mature content. It's part of the original sketch, but I just might take it out if it looks out of place. Just in case, the rest of the chapters would   
be pretty much for general viewing (I will be indicating the rating for each chapter on top of the page, like I always do).   
But for the sake of underage readers and some archive policies, I am going to keep two different versions of parts where there is mature content. One would be passably wholesome, where every lemon scene is carefully omitted, and the other would be the complete, unedited version. Just to inform you, the latter version would certainly fall under the archives of   
[A Sailor Moon Romance][2] and [FanFiction.Net][3], because there, fanfics with such content are tolerated.  
Thanks to all the people who has been supportive; to my friends--Nic, Eden, Dani and Fran--for spellchecking!   
^_- Thank you also to the wonderful webmistresses that have been kind enough to post this in their archives of   
fanfics. My eternal gratitude.

  
FOR THE STANDARD DISCLAIMER:  
"Angel of Chronos" is a fanfic written by me, Spatula Gurl.All storylines and concepts are made by me, but Bishoujo   
Senshi Sailormoon and its characters are solely Naoko Takeuchi's. I am not making any profit from this fanfic. All comments and   
suggestions should be sent to [ucchan@gurlmail.com][1].

   [1]: mailto:ucchan@gurlmail.com
   [2]: http://www.moonromance.com
   [3]: http://www.fanfiction.net



	2. Divine Intervention

Angel of Chronos -- Chapter Two

****Angel of Chronos  
by [Spatula Gurl][1]

**Chapter Two: Divine Intervention**

_"A clouded dream on an earthly night  
Hangs upon the crescent moon  
A voiceless song in an ageless light  
Sings at the coming dawn..."_

-- The Mystic's Dream, Loreena McKennit

"Kunzite-san? Are you ready to leave?"

  
The silver-haired man looked up distractedly from the papers he was browsing through and frowned. "Ogasarawa-san?"

  
Mitsumi knit her own brows as she heard the man address her so formally as he usually did. She insisted that, being partners, he should be calling her in a more familiar manner. But Kunzite never seemed to hear much about anything she had to say, except when it was about business, to her irritation. If he wasn't such an interesting man himself, she wouldn't bother to put up with him in the first place other than talking about the next project or plan for the company.

  
In truth, Kunzite was only one of the very few men who have managed to catch Mitsumi's attention. She wasn't much for relationships. For her, there was only one important rule in life: never to trust anyone other than yourself. And she never mixed business with pleasure. Men who have long been vying for her attention were given a disconcerting cold shoulder. She knew she was attractive, bearing a face that was too striking to ignore: piercing eyes of green, a wide, luscious mouth when it wasn't pursed in a straight line and prominent cheekbones. Even with plain grooming (her shoulder-length brown hair always held up in a tight bun, and a pair of glasses rested on the bridge of her nose), she almost always caught the attention of every passerby, especially with her tall,   
demanding presence.

  
But for the moment, there was only one person whom she cared to interest. And he was looking back at a pile of papers.

  
Kunzite. His being handsome was one thing. The first time she met him, she actually looked twice to make sure she wasn't seeing things. It was probably the only time she ever looked at a man's facial features closely before, but she could not help it. Her curiousity was piqued almost immediately the moment her eyes locked with cold, silver ones. There was something in him that made everyone feel intrigued, not just because of his exceptional looks but also because of his enigmatic aura.And then to find out that he was the 28-year old business tycoon whom all of Japan was talking about...she was most definitely interested. From then on, Kunzite was marked as a conquest. That he was attractive was a definite bonus. And as far as Mitsumi was concerned, he wouldn't be known as the most eligible bachelor of Tokyo for long. Sure, it was taking a tad longer than expected to get through the man's indifferent nature, but she attested that to the fact that she was a new hand at making a man take deliberate notice of her stately self. And she was nothing if not confident.

  
She cleared her throat impatiently and Kunzite's eyes drifted upwards towards hers again. "Seven o'clock, remember? We have a dinner meeting with the people at the Art Museum. And you did promise to give me a ride home home right after."

  
Kunzite glanced at his watch. "It's only 6:40. Are you sure we're not too early?"

  
"Not at all," she replied, pushing back her glasses. "The distance is not far, but we have to beat the early evening traffic."

  
"Very well," Kunzite said. Then, bringing his attention back to the paper he was holding, he continued, "Just give me two more   
minutes."

  
Mitsumi smiled stiffly in reply as she nodded her consent.

* * *

"...and this piece was done by Yakao Ikeda. Brilliant pick of colors, don't you think so, Minamoto-sama?"

  
Gendo Nomuro smiled nervously, absently brushing back the wisps of snow-white hair on top of his head. He paused for a moment as he silently watched the two important people before him, waiting anxiously for any positive reaction.

  
The younger man before him studied the painting briefly with inscrutable silver eyes that made Gendo even more nervous.

  
"Well, what about it, Kunzite-san?" the woman beside him asked, and Gendo's gaze flew to her, then back to the man, awaiting a response.

  
"Not this one," he replied shortly in a deep voice that almost made the old man jump back in surprise. "We need antiques."

  
Mitsumi nodded and turned to Gendo. "Where are the antiques and heirlooms?"

  
"This way, sir, ma'am," he offered quickly in return, leading them to another gallery. This time, he brought them to a heavily ornamented space with gold and deep crimson drapes, highlighting the beautiful art pieces in velvet cushions and glass cases. He led them further towards walls of different paintings then cleared his throat. 

  
"Here it is," he said, gesturing with an arm to the rows of painted art. "On this part are the ancient Japanese scrolls and art of early   
1900's. These are done by the great Ogata Gassan."

Gendo gave brief introductions on the more famous pieces, expounding more on the historical value and symbolisms. On he chattered, as Kunzite's eyes drifted around the wide expanse of the room, looking for the one painting that would catch his attention. There were plenty of beautiful creations in fact, but none seemed to appeal to him, or was at least appropriate for what he had in mind. He seemed quite oblivious to the few people inside the museum, glancing his way every now and then in mute interest.

  
"These are from the Renaissance. This one is an 'egg tempera', depicting the famous lovers Selene and Endymion in--" Gendo trailed off, noticing that Kunzite Minamoto had his gaze steadily directed at one of the larger works from the foreign gallery. "Pardon me, sir, but have you..."

  
Mitsumi interrupted with the same thought. "Seen what you've been looking for?" She followed his gaze as she voiced out the   
question. Her eyes soon settled curiously on a piece of Spanish artwork.

  
It was an oil on canvas of a woman's life-like face which seemed to be etched in old parchment. The face was beautiful, framed in   
light-colored tendrils of hair, drawn in scratched, slender lines outlined in a dark gold ink. The woman in the painting was looking heavenward, her lips parted slightly, and her delicate palm extended out as if waiting to catch something about to be dropped. Loosely wrapped around her arm were gauzy threads of ribbons. And etched faintly on the area just above her palm was a circular object resembling a clock with old roman numerals and black arrows.

  
Kunzite frowned slightly as he looked at it. "What is this one called?"

  
"I-it's called 'Chronos' Curse', sir," Gendo quickly replied. "It's a Spanish rendition of a painting made by an unknown artist from Greece."

  
"And where is the original?"

  
"It was never found, sir. It was last seen in a temple at Constantinople before if fell to ruins during a Mongol raid."

  
Mitsumi interrupted. "Then how did this version come about?" 

"It was said that the painting carried a small story with it, ma'am, a legend of some sort," Gendo explained. "It was believed that this painting was based on the tales told of its predecessor."

  
Mitsumi raised a brow upon hearing that, while Kunzite asked, "What was the legend?"

  
"Unfortunately, sir, the story itself faded with the passage of time. In the years past, some people came out with different variations of it that all of them was barely believable, although one part remained constant all throughout. They all maintained that it was about a woman cursed by time."

  
"What, she died at 200?" Mitsumi scoffed. "Next, you'll be telling me that whoever owns it will be given the same curse!"

  
"None that I know of has ever complained about it while it was still in their possession," Gendo informed her politely. "And almost all stories alluding to this painting were of a romantical nature." He eased up into a smile as he thought about it, momentarily forgetting his earlier state of anxiousness. They were silent for a brief moment until Mitsumi spoke up.

  
"Well? Are you going to use this, Kunzite-san?" she asked. "It's fitting, after all. It's quite good and still in excellent condition. Not as overused as the 'Mona Lisa' or the 'Birth of Venus'. Plus the little story behind it may just prove to be advantageous."

  
There was a pause as both Mitsumi and Gendo waited for Kunzite's reaction. Then, "Perhaps," he replied, as his eyes continued to study the artwork before him. His eyes fell particularly upon the image of the circular time keeper, silently musing at how much fine details were put into a tiny piece. The black arrows seemed to glint strangely under the lights, as the shorter one pointed at the roman numeral ten, and the other at twelve. "Let's take a look at the others before we decide," he said, finally tearing his gaze off the painting. "That last one, Selene and Endymion, might do just as well."

  
But even as he said it, a pair of silver eyes took a final glance at the woman's immortalized face before looking away

* * *

"Kunzite-san, is anything the matter? You seem awfully quiet this evening."

  
Kunzite cocked a brow as he gave the woman a sideways glance before turning his eyes back on the road. It was not like Mitsumi Ogasarawa to show concern on matters such as his silence. Especially when he was _always_ silent.

  
"Why do you ask?"

  
"Oh, well, it was just a thought," she replied, with a small shrug. He continued to drive as she kept light chatter about upcoming   
projects with the Fujisawa Corporation, reminding him of several business meetings for next week.

  
Kunzite soon pulled over as he reached a handsome Victorian house on the corner of a lamplit street. Mitsumi bid him a "Thank you" and "Goodnight" as she pushed open the door, but suddenly paused as if she just remembered something. With a slight frown, she told him, "Be sure to rest well, Kunzite-san..." A pause. She reached out and touched his hand, gaining the full impact of his eyes staring at her inscrutably, but with an almost unnoticeable tinge of surprise. "You look...tired," she said. "Please rest well." 

  
And with that, she bid him another good night before taking off, leaving him with a rare emotion crossing his handsome features. 

Puzzlement.

* * *

He went home wondering about Mitsumi Ogasarawa that night. There was something in that look she gave him, something different from the way she usually communicated with her cold, emerald eyes. For that one brief moment, he felt that he was looking at her for the first time.

  
He raked a hand through his hair and sighed. He was not totally dense. He knew that was the first hint of interest he has ever received from his business partner. But he had always thought of her as one of the women who were out to prove that they needed no men to survive in the harsh modern world.

  
Lightning sounded from the outside as heavy rain began to fall. Kunzite was only thankful that he was able to reach home before the storm started. Taking off his cloak, he headed to the kitchen to fix himself a cup of coffee while listening to his answering machine. But as soon as the third voice cracked through the wires, he froze.

  
It was his aunt. And she was reminding him of the family gathering to be held at their mansion next week. Of course, she was suggesting he bring a friend along. And he could bet his pants off she wasn't referring to a friend of the same sex.

  
He sighed again as he pushed open his bedroom door, loosening his shirt and tie as he got inside. 

  
His aunt had adopted him when his parents died before he even reached his twelfth year. And ever since he had turned twenty, she had been insisting he find himself a loving wife that would take care of him for the rest of his life. And he had always laughed at her for her foolish notions. Cynical as he was, he didn't believe in thatold faith. He allowed that it could happen, but unconciously, he never considered himself as one of those people who would experience it. It just never occured to him that it might happen to himself because the picture just didn't fit him.

  
Oh, marriage was not far from his mind, however. He believed he would eventually have to marry some daughter of a rich businessman whom he'd seal a contract with. Wasn't that the case for most marriages in his field? He dismissed of doing the marital act simply for love, as his aunt would insist upon. It just didn't make sense that he should do it without gaining any benefits for himself and the other party.

  
Those thoughts aside, he decided to appease his aunt by coming at the party with a female. And that led him back to Mitsumi, who seemed the obvious choice. If he were to contemplate a serious relationship, it would definitely be with her. Already they had much in common. She was intelligent, practical and she was the daughter of Seichi Ogasarawa. Marriage with her would form a good alliance with her father's company. She may not fit the picture of the warm, smiling wife his aunt wanted for him, but he viewed her as the best choice for himself.

  
But what if he did find someone his aunt would approve of? The thought brought a slightly bemused look on his face. What would it be like to live in a fairytale marriage? With a warm and loving wife and three adorable kids?

  
He frowned slightly. It was not difficult to imagine, and strangely, it was somewhat a pleasant thought...but why dwell on the impossible and unreal? Some people may be foolish enough to think of themselves fortunate, affording to live the illusion of that 'luxury' but he had more sense to know it did not exist. He almost laughed out loud. So many people insisted on living a lie, in wishing for an angel straight from the heavens.

  
But...

  
In such lies, they found contentment.

  
An angel on earth. Imagine that.

  
Loud thunder rumbled from the skies and lightning cracked soon after. The spatter of heavy raindrops filled his ears, breaking him from his train of thoughts. Taking his shirt off, he glanced at the clock on the desk in front of the mirror. Exactly ten o'clock. He usually slept around eleven, but he felt so exhausted he decided to sleep right then.

  
Another lightning, louder than before. It was so loud, he began to wonder if the storm was more damaging than he first thought it was.

  
He turned around to head for his bed, but he stopped short, alarmed by a shadowy figure on top of it. He jumped back, his eyes narrowing to slits. Was he seeing things? Or was there truly an intruder inside his room?

  
But before he could do anything, another lightning illuminated through the darkness of the room, confirming what his two eyes had   
discerned.

  
There was indeed a person inside his room.

  
A female, sitting on top of his bed, was staring up at him with large blue eyes.

  
His eyes widened, a look of surprise and rage dawning on his handsome features.

  
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!?" he roared.

___________________________________________________________________________  
Send comments to: Spatula Gurl ucchan@gurlmail.com

a u t h o r ' s |õ| n o t e s :

You know, while writing this chapter, I just realized I have this   
fascination for ancient art and legends. They influenced me much while I   
was writing "The Legend of Serenity" (the title itself is a dead giveaway)   
and now even this! ^^; Anyway, comments, please! ^_^; I'm sorry the   
first part is dragging, but I had to emphasize on Kunzite and his thoughts.

"Mona Lisa" is by the great Leonardo da Vinci. You can't be smarter   
than a brick wall if you think I own that painting, or worse,   
made it.  
"Birth of Venus" is by the famous Sandro Boticelli.  
"Egg tempera" is a technique of painting where egg yolks are used as a   
binder. They are combined with the pigments to make tempera paint.  
___________________________________________________________________________

   [1]: mailto:ucchan@gurlmail.com



	3. Where Ends Meet

Angel of Chronos -- Chapter Three

****Angel of Chronos  
by [Spatula Gurl][1]

**Chapter Three: When Ends Meet **

_"In my loneliness I prayed to God one   
night, tears coursing down my cheek.   
He gave me you, and I asked him why.   
'I thought it was an angel you seek!'   
He replied."_

-- Anonymous

"M'lady, it is time. We must prepare you for their arrival."

  
Minako nodded as she headed off to her bedchamber with Cora right behind her and two other maids to assist her with her clothing.

  
Now inside the privacy of her room, she was stripped down to her underrobes. Cora proceeded to prepare Minako's garments one by one on top of the bed, while the two other maids fussed about her face and hair. Minako stood still in front of the silver looking-glass, speaking not a word as the maids busied themselves with her appearance.

  
Cora smiled as her eyes travelled admiringly over the heavy, gold-colored gown in her arms. It was so beautiful. She was certain Sir   
Richard would melt at the very sight of Lady Minako wearing it. She laid it down on the bed with the slik chemise, corset, ribbons and circlet. Having done that, she glanced at Minako, her smile turning a slight wistful. Her young mistress had finally agreed to give her hand in marrige to Richard, the young knight. The wedding was set two months from the week before, and since then, Minako had been more quiet and reserved. The change in her behavior was expected, but the calm in which she accepted the so detested fate was almost unbelievable. Was this the same female who ran in a chaotic whirlwind just a few days ago to avoid a meeting with her intended? Cora sighed to herself, now turning towards Minako to dress the young lady appropriately, starting first with the chemise.

  
Minako looked at herself in the mirror, a faint glint of steel in her blue eyes. She agreed to marry the young knight-lord, and she would   
never forgive her father because of it. Not even when he looked at her with such hurt in his eyes when she told him that once she was gone from his shelter, he would never know or see a trace of his daughter again. He had gone quite pale after that, but she did not stay any longer to see how he would further react.

  
There were no more tears, she told herself bitterly as she continued to gaze at her reflection. There, just before her, was a girl she barely knew. Her pale face was emotionless, the clear blue eyes unblinking. Is this what she had become? Well, no matter. From then on, she will face the future bravely, and will not look back at the past. Never look back.

  
Never.

  
Even if she was wishing, at that very moment, to disappear from it all.

  
An ear-splitting scream echoed throughout the peaceful hallways of the castle. Mumbled cries and shuffled footsteps resounded in the   
stairway, and those who heard the blood-curling sound, rushed immediately to its source.

  
It was Cora, with two of the other maids, Liane and Rosalind, right behind her, tears streaking down their cheeks as they cried frantically.

  
"Lady Anne! Where is Lady Anne?" Cora half-shouted to the servants gathered around them.

  
"What happened?"

  
"Who screamed?"

  
"What is wrong?"

  
"La...nako...vanished!" Liane sobbed, burrying her face in her hands. Rosalind, who was standing beside her, was speaking just as   
incoherrently.

  
"What is the matter?" A woman's voice sounded through the disturbance. Upon hearing it, the servants immediately hushed their tones,   
but the worried looks on their faces were apparent.

  
It was Lady Anne. A frown marred her aged features, as the servants parted to give her way. Cora immediately rushed to her, her hands   
clasped together, bespeaking her distress.

  
"M'lady, the young mistress has vanished!"

  
Anne's face grew ashen. "What?"

  
"W-we were in the chamber with Lady Minako, helping her prepare for the arrival of Sir Richard and his men. Right before my eyes, she suddenly disappeared!"

  
"Search the castle!" Anne ordered. Then to Cora, Liane and Rosalind, she said, "Come with me to her tower."

  
When they finally reached the chamber from which all three maids came rushing down from, they found it empty. They searched the entire room, not caring about the disorder they were making. Still there was no sign of the missing countess.

  
Anne, trembling with fright, told the maids to go. "Search the other rooms! Now! Quickly!" When they were gone, the old woman looked   
about her, one hand clutched to her chest. Tears began to form in her eyes as she whispered brokenly, "My God...it has happened..."

  
* * *

  
"**WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?**!" he roared.

  
Minako almost jumped back in surprise, her eyes quite wide with fear. Her initial confusion at the sudden darkness that surrounded her,   
and the whirling motion which dulled her senses, was momentarily forgotten at the first sight that greeted her. Who was this strange, half-naked man standing before her, shouting his question in such a loud voice which lightning from the outside could not match? And he was glowering at her so fiercely that her first reaction was to cover herself or run from fright. But she didn't. She was rooted right on top of that soft thing she landed on, not even daring to breathe nor blink.

  
But it was when he began to advance toward her in a threatening stride that her fear vanished, and her own fury surfaced. One moment she was bitterly recounting her last few days of freedom, and the next she found herself in an unknown place with an unknown man thundering his insolent demands at her. A woman could only take so much abuse in one day...

  
"Stay back!" she shouted, her voice slightly shaking. Of earlier fear, or with present anger, she did not know, but at that moment, she   
didn't really care. She quickly stood on her feet and backed away a few inches.

~~~~~~~

Kunzite stared back at the blonde-haired girl, once more taken by surprise at the sudden outburst. Just a few seconds ago, she was looking at him as if he were going to eat her alive, and now she exploded in full temper. He was further sidetracked as the girl rose from her position, standing on her feet, allowing him a clearer view of herself. What he saw was a face so angelic, so innocent in its delicate beauty, returning his stare so intently that he, only for a very brief moment, gaped. And what was that she was wearing? A gold gown, a costume obviously, though why was she wearing such? But before he could say anything, the girl yelled back at him again.

  
"I believe I should be asking you that question. I know not who you are, but you best explain yourself right quickly! What am I doing in   
here?"

  
Kunzite scowled darkly. If this was anyone's idea of a joke, he didn't find it funny. "I don't know who you are, or what the hell you're   
doing in my property, lady. All I know is you're tresspassing, and whoever--"

  
"Tresspassing!" she gasped. "How dare--!"

  
"Yes, and Kami-sama, if you don't get the hell out of here, I won't even bother to have you arrested by the police! I'll take care of you   
myself!"

~~~~~~~

Barely had he finished his sentence, when Minako jumped down from the bed and started running. But her panic grew as she frantically   
searched for an exit that could not be found in the strange dungeon she was in. Turning around, she saw that the silver-haired man had already caught up with her, and had now taken hold of one of her wrists in a death grip.

  
"You're not going anywhere, you thief!" he growled.

  
"Thief?!" she shrieked, then kicked him squarely in the shin for the insult. She dashed out of his reach right after, hearing him roar   
in anger. But there were only so much space she could run into, and she soon found herself cornered once again.

  
"See here," she said, taking hold of a tiny, gold-threaded pouch slinging from her side and throwing it to him as he drew nearer. "You are mistaking me for some common thief I do not even know. You can have all my gold if you release me! I can give you more, if the sum does not satisfy you."

~~~~~~~

Kunzite looked from her, to the silken pouch, his scowl growing darker with just a tinge of frustrated bewilderment. After all, he had to   
allow she didn't look much like a thief, especially in that heavy dress. "Then what exactly are you doing here? Is this some kind of a practical joke?" he snarled angrily.

~~~~~~~

Minako only frowned at him, not quite understanding what he meant by the latter question. But the former was quite clear to her, so she bit back, "You hold me captive and pretend to know nothing about it?"

~~~~~~~

Kunzite shook his head, refusing to even try to understand any of it anymore. "This has gone too far. I'm too tired to handle this. If you   
want to keep up this game, fine. But we'll do it my way."

~~~~~~~

Minako could only watch in a worried state as the man took a couple of steps back. He stopped near a wooden cabinet and searched with one hand through the third drawer, all the while not taking his eyes off her. When stood up, there was something in his hand which was giving off an ominous, metallic glint...

  
Backing away as he now advanced towards her, she tripped on her dress, her elbow turning something from the wall before she caught herself in the tumble. A creak from it made her look up to see a part of the wall suddenly edge itself from its original surface. Her eyes lit up as it dawned to her, quickly as it happened, that this was the escape path she was looking for. She wedged it open and ran like mad to the other room, shutting the 'wall' behind her.

~~~~~~~

With swift, angry strides, Kunzite immediately followed the girl outside the room, slamming the door for the second time. With his longer reach, he was able to close the distance between them in no time. In vain, the girl had tried to run behind the couch, but it proved to be her mistake. With deft movements, he had her wrist in one hand, and then...

~~~~~~~

She found herself unable to move. 

  
She stared at her left wrist, which was cuffed to the brass bars of a pillowed long-seater. She pulled her arm away, but was only met with the clashing sound of metal against brass. "W-what is...?"

  
Her protest was cut short as a tall frame shadowed above hers. She gulped nervously. He was staring down at her with a grim expression, and she dreaded what he might do next, now that she had nowhere else to go...

~~~~~~~

Kunzite calmly gazed at the girl in front of him. He could see how the girl stared back at him in nervousness. He knew somehow that she felt frightened, but she valiantly did not show any sign of it. She was anxious, though; that much was obvious. But some of his anger was beginning to drain away at the conclusion that was slowly forming in his mind.

  
This was Ryougo's doing. It had to be. It explained the princess-like costume AND the girl's presence. This was just one of his elaborate gimmicks. It was so like Ryougo to send one of his women to him, like the way he jestingly presented a pair of handcuffs to him--the very ones which bound this girl to the seat--on his last birthday. 'Enjoy,' he jokingly suggested, giving him a wink. Kunzite could've saved him the kindly gesture and informed him that in his bed, women never had room to act out ridiculous fantasies...

  
Dragging his thoughts back to the girl, whose nervousness apparently did not lessen despite his lack of words, he then wondered how Ryougo managed to sneak this female inside his private suite. Sure, Ryougo had been invited a couple of times to this very place, but unless Kunzite had anything to say otherwise, his suite was under full security. Not just anyone could even come twenty meters near the territory. The grounds and the gates were under constant supervision, and the hallways were even wired with surveillance cameras. Someone from the staff should've informed him beforehand if there were visitors waiting for him. And certainly, none of these guests were allowed inside his suite. They should've been made to wait elsewhere. Kunzite almost shook his head in disbelief. Ryougo had really outdone himself this time.

  
But what was Ryougo thinking? Kunzite's eyes roamed about the girl's features, and noted their distinctive innocence. That alone proved how dangerous her attractiveness was. Hers was a beauty that aroused protective and possessive instincts from a male. And perhaps...even uncontrollable lust. All the more reason why Ryougo would pick someone like her.

  
"Aren't you going to say anything?" a female voice broke through his thoughts.

~~~~~~~

Minako's anxiety heightened a scale, as she felt the impact of his full attention. She suddenly wished she had kept her mouth shut, but she _was_ beginning to be unnerved by his silence.

  
She then heard him speak in a deep voice: "How about, 'Who are you?', for the nth time?" he asked her.

  
She returned his intense gaze with a puzzled one, not completely comprehending. But she did reply a split-second after, barely thinking, pressured under his undivided attention. "Aino Minako--" she said, then abruptly stopped, berating herself for stupidly giving away such information to a stranger.

  
"Well, Minako," he said to her, "I'll forget about this if you will. Tell Ryougo that although his offer proves tempting, I am not interested as of the moment."

  
She stared at him oddly. "W-what are you talking about?" she asked him, her voice faltering a bit at her confusion.

  
He frowned at her, and the seconds tolled by in silence. "Where do you live?" he suddenly asked her after a few moments.

  
The unexpected question surprised her. Minako opened her mouth to reply, but she stopped...not because she refused to volunteer more information about herself, though. She stopped, because suddenly, her mind went blank...and she didn't know what to answer.

  
"Where do you live?" he asked again, the tone of his voice more insistent than before.

~~~~~~~

She looked at him, the confusion and the panic evident in her eyes. Kunzite noticed, but did not understand the reason behind this reflection of her emotions. So instead, he asked her again, although less sternly. "Where?"

  
"I..." She paused, seeming to recollect her thoughts. Finally, after a few moments, she sighed. "I don't know..." she finished.

  
Kunzite raked his hand through his hair and gave a frustrated sigh of his own. Well, if anything, Ryougo had meant to make the girl stay for the night. And the morning, too, probably. Was it his concern of his if she didn't have any place to stay tonight because of Ryougo's elaborate plan?

  
Well...yes.

  
He couldn't just turn her away at this late hour. And calling security was out of the question.

  
So was sharing a bed with her.

  
He gave a slight shake of his head and rubbed his temples. Since he was too tired to bother fussing about this blonde beauty, he decided on the only acceptable solution.

  
She had to spend the night inside the suite.

___________________________________________________________________________  
Send comments to: Spatula Gurl ucchan@gurlmail.com

a u t h o r ' s |õ| n o t e s :

Sorry, was the part where Kunzite found Minako in his bed too confusing?   
I only decided to separate their thoughts at the last minute, inserting the   
"~~~~~~~" for more definition. ^^; Gome!  
___________________________________________________________________________

   [1]: mailto:ucchan@gurlmail.com



	4. Then There Was Light

**AN (012605): **Okay, I understand I haven't updated this story for years. And the truth is, I haven't written anything in addition for almost two years. But what I did manage to finish was 90 percent of chp 4; this should've been finished around two years ago. Some people are still emailing me about this story, and I hate the thought that you wouldn't get to read the last chapter I wrote just because I didn't finish it. xD Well, unlike "Legend of Serenity", I can actually still manage to continue this as it is AU. Just don't hold your breath 'til I do, cos if there's any of my fanfics I'd be continuing soon, it's gonna be the Suikoden ones. Anyhoo, enjoy. Please keep in mind that this was written about two years ago, so pardon the old style.

Oh, and I don't use the penname Spatula Gurl anymore. I went back to my original handle, which is thundersenshi/Jov.

**Angel of Chronos**

**Chapter Four: Then There Was Light **  
by: thundersenshi  
(Rated PG13)

_"Who are you?  
Are you even alive,  
Or are you a figment of my imagination?"_

* * *

"Good morning, sir," the desk lady greeted, as the silver-haired man entered through the elegant glass doors. He nodded in acknowledgment and continued his brisk pace.

This was just not his morning.

Kunzite found himself waking up a half-hour later than usual. In his haste to leave for work, he momentarily forgot that he had an unknown woman inside his suite. When he did finally remember, he almost groaned out loud in frustration. He was going to kill Ryougo for this little stunt. But for the meantime, there were more important matters to attend to, and he was already running late. When he stepped outside his room fully dressed, he hadn't even bothered for a quick caffeine fix. Throwing a final glance at the sleeping figure draped on his living room's cushioned long-seater, he paused only for a brief moment before leaving. He hadn't even bothered waking the woman up, and that she was handcuffed to the brass handles of the seater was  
completely forgotten. He left without preamble, only with strict orders for the cleaning crew to leave his suite undisturbed for the meantime.

"Good morning, Minamoto-sama," came another greeting, from his secretary this time. Without skipping a beat, she continued. "Mr. Amawa had called earlier. He is currently in Hiroshima, checking on the plantation, but as you were out, he left a message for you." She handed him a tiny memo. "He'll be calling again later. Also," she handed him a folder "the documents you have  
requested for two days ago have arrived. Amawa-san checked them again just before you came in."

"Arigatou, Kurata," Kunzite said, as he accepted the folder. He leafed through it very briefly before turning again to his secretary."Has Ogasarawa-san come in yet?"

"No sir, she hasn't," came the reply.

Kunzite glanced at his watch. "Well, is there anything else?"

"Just a few more things," his secretary said, pulling out a brown envelope. "This just came in." She cleared her throat before continuing."Also, you have a conference at 10 sharp, and another meeting at 2."

"Nothing else?"

"That's just about it, sir."

"Okay then. Thank you." Then, just before the secretary exited through the door, he called out again. "Fix me a cup of coffee, Kurata. Oh, and call Ryouga in. I want to talk to him."

"Right away, sir."

* * *

Brightness.

She tried in vain to ignore the intruding beams of light that were rousing her from slumber. But after a few more minutes, she gave up. She opened her eyes slowly, yawning.

A white ceiling.

The first thing she saw was the only thing that did not bring forth the uncomfortable, gnawing spark of panic within her. Just as it was yesterday.

Minako did not move from where she was, but her eyes took possession of her surroundings. Nothing around her was familiar. Nothing made sense.

She blinked once. Then twice. But still, it did not disappear.

Yesterday was real. She did not just dream of it. It was all real.

She tried to get up, but found that she could not move much. Her body was tired and aching because whatever it was that she had slept on was simply not made to be slept on...but much more than that, the sound of metal against brass caught her attention and she visibly scowled. This... thing linked her wrist to the brass bars of her "bed", and not only did it bite her skin red from rubbing, it also limited her movement in sleep. She had adapted instead an extremely uncomfortable and unmoving lying down position with her one arm sticking out because it simply could not be helped. It was fortunate that sleep even came to her. No, not fortunate--an act of miracle, even. Her cuffed arm was already numb from the lack of blood  
circulation.

She gave a low growl of pure frustration.

This was just not her morning. And someone was going to pay...

* * *

"Yo!"

Kunzite looked up from all the paperwork piled up on his desk to see Ryougo, casually leaning on the doorway, with a hand in his pocket and his usual grin.

Kunzite did not return the smile, but instead told him flatly, "Come in. And close the door behind you."

The seriousness in his tone sobered Ryougo's typically amused expression a little. He raised a single brow, instead, and did as he was asked. "What's up?" he said, finally sauntering over to where Kunzite was, and taking a seat on the other side of the desk.

Kunzite did not mince words. "There's a woman inside my private suit."

When he didn't say anything else for a moment, Ryougo smirked."Well, go on. I can't imagine why you'd want me to know, but hell, Kunz, I didn't think you were...you know, into these kind of things..." The silver-haired man opened his mouth to protest, but Ryougo held up both of his hands, as if in surrender, and cut him off before he even had a chance."Hey, dude, it's cool with me. I don't want you to think that...well, it's just that I never saw you as that kind of person." He made waving motions with his hands and hastily continued. "It's just that you're always so... serious. I mean, this sort of stuff, it smacks of myself, but you?"

"Ryougo--"

"Well, come on, give me the bloody details! It's why you rang, didn't--"

"Shut up for a moment!" Kunzite half-shouted in exasperation.

"Well," Ryougo said, surprised, but merely feigning an offended expression at Kunzite's dark one. "You didn't have to be so damned touchy about it. Why did you even--"

"Ryougo." There was warning in that tone of voice, and it was enough for the other man to shut his trap.

"Okay, okay, shoot. I'll listen."

Kunzite inhaled deeply. "Last night, when I came home from work, I found a woman inside of my room. On top of my bed."

He continued glaring, but Ryougo merely returned it with blank staring. It was almost enough to drive him mad. "Did you have anything to do with it?" he finally bit out.

"Oh so that's what's bugging you," Ryougo said, understanding. But there was also puzzlement in his usually amused face, and, scratching his head, he continued, "I know this may come as a surprise to you Kunz, but I didn't do it. Wish I could've thought of it, though, it was a brilliant--" he noticed Kunzite's darkening expression, "--mistake. Man, ya know I wouldn't do that to ya," he finished, grinning.

Kunzite's grunt said as much: yeah right. Ryougo looked even more like a cheshire.

"Well if you didn't do it," Kunzite looked at him directly, "--and I'm not saying I'm ruling you out completely" Ryougo smirked, but raised his hands in surrender "--who else could've done it?"

"Beats me. That's your private suite. Shouldn't you know who goes in and out of the place?"

"That's another thing. I barely invite people over, so there's only a very small list of possible suspects." Kunzite gave him a look  
laced with a hint of suspicion again. "You've been to my place several times, and the staff is fairly familiar with your face. That why I thought of you."

"I'm flattered, Kunz, but well, I really didn't do it," Ryougo shurgged helplessly.

Kunzite took a deep breath. This was confusing the hell out of him. Ryougo wasn't owning up to the deed he was being accused of, and he couldn't think of anyone else who could've done it. But he had this alarming feeling that Ryougo was telling the truth. It wasn't like him to deny such a stunt.

"Didn't you ask your staff if anybody came in?"

"I was occupied this morning, and I was already running late. It completely slipped my mind."

Ryougo grinned again. "Occupied, eh? Well that's one way to put it." Kunzite frowned at his insinuating remark, but he ignored it. "Where is she now, then?"

Kunzite looked as if the thought hadn't crossed his mind. "I left her back there," he replied.

Ryougo sobered instantly and gave a low whistle. "You left an unknown woman in your place?"

"Well, it's not like she's going anywhere..."

It was Ryougo's turn to frown. "What do you mean?"

Kunzite hesitated briefly before finally answering: "She's handcuffed in my living room."

"She's what!" Ryougo's eyes bulged incredulously.

"She's cuffed to a brass seater."

Ryougo went on, as if Kunzite did not spout out that ridiculous, additional piece of information. "You've got a female in there man," he sputtered. "We're not talking about your pet pooch!" He continued to eye Kunzite with disbelief. "Or did you jump in on her last night? Is that why you forgot to take off the handcuffs?"

"I didn't touch her!" Kunzite exclaimed, scowling. "Hey, and those were your handcuffs..."

"Oh, blame it on me now, will you? I hope you had the decency to leave her something while..." Ryougo trailed off, noticing Kunzite's sudden silence and the considerable paling of his face. "You didn't even leave her anything to eat?"

* * *

Minako tried not to cringe at the sound of breaking glass. Yet again. She told herself, for the nth time, that it was that damned man's fault anyway for leaving her still chained to the blasted seat. He was nowhere in sight, and perhaps that only suited her purpose better.

Purpose?

She looked around her with a strange sense of satisfaction. The curtains hanging from the window were once pristine white. Now they were ripped on one side, and had brown stains on the other. She displaced the seat and table arrangement in the center of the living room, knocking off the glass table while she was dragging along the seat she was chained to. The glass surface was pretty hard, and so the fall only resulted to a tiny chip at the edge...there was carpeting, too, so that helped in breaking the fall. But the carpet itself was dirtied with more brown stains and sprinkled with potpourri, because a tiny jar of it was knocked off from the glass table, too. The other side of the carpet was damp, and several pieces of a broken vase lay scattered on her feet.

Minako tried not to feel too sorry about the mess she made. It wasn't as if she had meant to wreck the place purposely...more than half of the havoc she wreaked was purely accidental. First off, she was dragging the rest of the long-seater she was linked to, since she tried hammering it with any solid object she could get her hands on and it didn't work (a now dented wooden artifact of some sort, and what used to be a ceramic paperweight now broken into three pieces on the floor lay as evidence). So she settled for dragging it with both hands, and though it was a bit painful to do so, she got around the place...albeit like a drunkard, knocking off more than a few things which were unfortunately in her way.

Just then, her stomach growled. Minako winced, as this was the second time it did that. She was hungry, and she had to find food before she herself expired. But then, the first growl was what made her move in the first place. It was the reason why her surroundings were now in ruins. She didn't care what that man would say if he were to come back home and find the mess she had made--if he was even going to come back. Maybe he just left her there to starve...

No. She had to find food. Picking up one side of the brass seater she was cuffed to with both hands, she made her way to the next room, stumbling a bit with her back to the direction she was going. The long, brass seater made a tiny squeaking-screeching sound against the floor, but she paid it no heed. If she was going to die in hunger today, she couldn't possibly worry about something so trivial as scratching the polished floor surface. Let that arrogant man do the worrying. Right now, she was  
concerned about the stupid brass seater blocking the doorway behind her and unabling her to stumble further into this new room she had found.

* * *

"No."

"Oh, come on, Kunz! Don't you trust me?"

The silver-haired man shot him a meaningful look, but Ryougo thought to try again.

"Hey, you have a meeting in an hour. You don't have to miss it, you can just as simply delegate this task to me, and--"

"Ryougo," Kunzite interrupted him, exasperated. "That is precisely the point. I have approximately sixty minutes to pick up some lunch and drive back to my suite and then go back here in time for my meeting. I don't need you to make matters worse than it already is." He swiped his car keys from his desk and briskly went outside his office, Ryougo hot on his trail."Kurata," he called out to his secretary.

"Yes sir?"

"I may be late for the 2 o'clock meeting. Call up Ogasarawa-san and make sure she attends early. If I can't make it on time, or can't make it at all, she should at least be there."

"Understood, sir."

"And you," he pointed out to Ryougo, who backtracked abruptly when Kunzite suddenly swiveled around, "will shut the hell up. You will not breathe a single word of what you've learned this morning, or I'll skin you alive and feed you to the pigs."

"Whoa, Kunzite, must we be so graphically violent?"

But Kunzite was already outside, too far for him to have heard. Ryougo could only shake his head, an amused grin creeping its way up to the edges of his mouth.

After all, it wasn't everday that Mister Control lost his cool and got his feathers ruffled...

Damned everlasting hell. He should have gotten his secretary to order the lunch while he was in a meeting. Now it looked like he was stuck in heavy afternoon traffic, and of course he couldn't remember a single goddam number for something as simple as take-out. Angry and frustrated, his eyes were left to wander the sidewalks. It was then that he caught sight of a ramen and okinomiyaki cart in a narrow corner of a small street. He thought for a moment, glancing at the flow of traffic in front of him, then back at the sidewalk. It didn't take him a long time to decide. Well, it certainly wasn't gourmet food, but at that precise moment, it ceased to matter at all. He swivelled his car to the left, and parked near a quaint, familiar teahouse. He was a usual  
customer there, and the proprietress probably would not mind having him park his vehicle for no more than ten minutes. He got out of his car and walked towards the wooden food cart.

The old man behind the cart had seen Kunzite approach, but was almost certain that he was going a different way, so he didn't bother about broadcasting his wares. When it finally occured to him that the important-looking young man was really heading for his cart, he jumped to attention and smiled toothily.

"What is it, sir?" the old man asked.

Kunzite eyed the food stand uneasily, not having been near one since he was a kid in junior high. It seemed silly to ask for a menu, so he looked up instead at the ones plastered on the wooden railings of the cart's small roof. He realized that he was a bit hungry, too, and that he had not eaten himself. He turned to the old man. "I'll have everything in these two," he said, pointing to the lists of food written on two pieces of cardboard tacked at the wooden railing. "It's to go, and make it fast, please."

The old man beamed at him. "Right away, sir!"

* * *

She was ready to scream her head off.

She wondered if anyone would hear her. Not that she was intent on having someone barge inside her queer dungeon, and come to her rescue. It was already doubtful that anyone could possibly help her in her current demise.

'Strange contraptions,' she thought to herself, eyeing the room bitterly. 'Where in nine hells does he keep his food? How many more things do I have to break?' She gingerly stepped over pieces of broken glass--or what used to be a jar of sugar...she had accidentally tipped it over when she was dragging the long-seater behind her and knocked off a few things from the top of a tiny, well-polished wooden table.

Minako tried to be a little adventurous and tasted some other things that looked edible to her. But she had never been a lucky woman, as if the situations she got in could speak for her. That last thing she barely tasted was so nasty that she almost turned her back on her original intent-- to look for food. She just hoped she wouldn't come across anything poisonous. But between starving to death and the possibility of swallowing something toxic...well, she'd take her chance at least.

Somehow, she had managed to wedge open a couple of cupboards (or what she assumed to be cupboards). But there had only been silver and metallic pots...for cooking, perhaps. She didn't really know. They looked a little small to be used for cooking food. Still, after inspecting most of her surroundings, she suspected this was a kitchen.

But where was the food?

She trudged towards another cupboard. Actually, she wasn't sure if it was one, because it was larger than the rest and it was painted a glossy white. But it had slender handles on one side; there had to be something inside it.

She opened the top first with a swift pull, and was shocked when a cold, slightly freezing sensation prickled the skin of her face. She knew she shouldn't even be surprised anymore; nothing made sense in this world. They even have a convenient box to keep winter in. 'Well,' she remarked to herself dryly, 'There's still the bottom box...maybe that's where they keep rain.' She pulled it open anyway, and felt a bit of triumph when she peered inside it.

Eggs. Transparent, lightweight pitchers of water, and a couple of unrecognizable kinds of liquid. And those looked like vegtables. And perhaps cheese. Minako picked it up and sniffed it delicately. It certainly smelled like cheese, only it was cold. And brick-hard. Her eyes searched for more distinguishable objects. Although it seemed packed, she could not find much that looked safe to nibble on. So she dragged her eyes back to the block of cheese in her palm.

She shrugged her shoulders daintily. Might as well.

* * *

The sight of tattered furniture took a few more seconds to register, after the initial shock at seeing his living room. Or what was left of it.

'What the hell does she think she's doing!' he thought to himself angrily. His gray eyes searched the room around him, but the girl was nowhere to be seen. But it was easy enough to discern which way the she went--the path of destruction was clear in contrast to the pristine, untouched surfaces of the rest of his suite. In long strides, he quickly reached the kitchen. However, the vision that greeted him almost dissipated his anger, and he momentarily came to a halt as his bewildered eyes made contact with hers.

She looked pitiful. She was still wearing the golden gown that she had slept in. Her hair was in disarray, and her face pale and exhausted. She looked up at him with eyes that seemed to speak of her distress, and Kunzite found it terribly disarming. She also looked like she was about to cry, but bravely biting back her tears so she could salvage her pride.

A deep frown marred her features as she caught sight of him. "You," she managed to choke out.

"Is it your intention to destroy everything in sight?" he said coolly, breaking eye contact. By the gods, he should be steaming with anger right now. He would not be moved by pity.

"Is it your intention to tie me up like an animal and starve me to death?" she countered.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Okay, i was so totally making things up! I have no idea what cheese looked like in Minako's supposed time...I don't even know if there was cheese then! ; But I have no time for research, as I'm sure you guys can do without that much detail. After all, this is just a fanfic. ; Let's all just have some fun, shall we? Hnn...but maybe to be on the safe side, I should change Minako's timeline from medieval to a european regency era... hehe... It would make things so much easier as time difference wouldn't have been so large...


End file.
